CITY MOBILITY PLAN - KOCHI 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 GENERAL Kochi, the largest agglomeration in the state of Kerala is the nerve centre of all commercial activities in Kerala. One of the major ports in the country Kochi is blessed with connection with other parts of the country through all modes of transport like road, rail, air and water. NH 17, NH 47, and NH 49 pass through Kochi. Kochi port is located on strategic International route. Broad gauge railway lines link up Kochi to all major cities of the country. Kochi has got one of the three international airports in the state. In addition to all these the regional road linkages are supplemented by an extensive network of navigation routes through the lagoon system, serving the movement of passenger and cargo. Insufficient carrying capacity of the intra-urban and sub urban routes, unhindered development of vast areas as urban extensions due to urbanization, unscientific planning in urban infrastructure development , absence of proper linkage of various forms of transportation etc. have resulted in an inadequate mobility system in the city and suburbs. As part of the comprehensive development of the city an efficient mobility plan has to be formulated. 1.2 STUDY AREA It was only in the beginning of the 19th century that Kochi , which was situated with in the narrow strip of land sandwiched between backwaters and sea outgrew to Ernakulam in the eastern side of the back waters. The narrow streets of Fort Kochi and Mattancherry were not sufficient to take up the travel demand even at that time. So Ernakulam was established as the administrative centre of Kochi. In 1840 Kochi rulers shifted their capital to Ernakulam. Public buildings and 1 educational institutions were set up in Ernakulam. Roads were laid out and markets were established. Railwys came to Ernakulam in 1905 and gradually rose to an administrative and commercial town. Mattancherry rose to the status of municipality in 1912 and was followed by Ernakulam in 1913. By the beginning of the twentieth century the eastern extension of Kochi city viz. Ernakulam has developed into a crowded urban settlement. By the middle of the 2 KOCHI CDP AREA 3 century the expansion of Kochi port by cutting open the sand bar at the sea mouth and forming a deep shipping channel accelerated the development of the city . By the turn of the last millennium the city has expanded further east including shifting of the administrative centre to Kakkanad. Kochi is the Gateway for all international optical fiber cable networks and so has got an added advantage of becoming an IT hub of India. Several establishments like Smart city, Info Park etc. are being developed in the new eastern extension of the city. More over some very important port oriented developments are being planned in the city like Vallarpadam Transshipment terminal, LNG terminal at Puduvipe, the SBM of KRL at Vypin, and SEZ at Vypin. The current road network and public transport which cannot even handle the present travel demand has to be developed to handle the future traffic demand. So to address to this burning issue the formulation of a city mobility plan covering the entire urban vicinity region is the necessity of the time. 1.2.1 REGIONAL SETTING Kochi region as conceived in the regional development plan was primarily an urban vicinity region delineated to encompass settlements lying with in the primary influence zone of Kochi city. The core area of Kochi region is the Kochi City. Five other Muncipal towns included in the region are linked to the city through transportation corridors. Unlike other states in the country distinct boundary between urban and rural area is totally absent in Kerala. So the development plan should be laid giving emphasis on the settlement structure of the entire region. 1.2.2 PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS The constituent area of Kochi CDP area is listed below. 1. Kochi Municipal Corporation. 2. Kalamassery Municipality 3. Thripunithara Municipality. 4 4. Elamkunnappuzha Panchayat 5. Njarakkal Panchayat 6. Mulavukad Panchayat 7. Kadamakkudy Panchayat. 8. Cheranallur Panchayat 9. Eloor 10. Varapuzha 11. Thrikkakara 12. Thiruvankulam 13. Maradu 14. Kumbalam 15. Kumbalangi 16. Chellanam 1.2.3 DEMOGRAPHY Table:1.1 : Spatial distribution of density of population S.No. Name of local body Area in Ha. Population 2001 Density per hectare 1 Kochi Corporation 9,488 596,473 63 2 Kalamassery Municipality 2,700 63,1176 23 3 Thripunithura Municipality 1,869 59,881 32 4 Elamkunnapuzha Panchayat 1,166 50,563 21 5 Njarakkal Panchayat 860 24,166 12 6 Mulavukad 1,927 22,842 28 7 Kadamakkudy 1,292 15,824 43 8 Cheranallur 1,059 26,316 25 9 Eloor 1,421 35,573 25 10 Varapuzha 774 24,524 32 11 Thrikkakara 2,746 65,984 21 12 Thiruvankulam 1,049 21,717 33 13 Maradu 1,235 41,012 13 5 14 Kumbalam 2,079 27,549 17 15 Kumbalangi 1,577 26,661 12 16 Chellanam 1,760 36,029 24 Total 33,002 1,138,413 35 1.2.4 FUTURE POPULATION Kochi being the commercial capital of Kerala, the population growth in Kochi Muncipal Corporation alone is expected to be 10% per decade. The growth of population in the remaining area is expected to be 19% per decade Table 1.2: Projected population of Kochi city S.No. Area 2001 2011 2021 2026 1 Kochi Corporation 596,473 618,348 640,379 648,398 2 Muncipalities-2 123,000 142,360 159,233 165,750 3 Panchayats-13 418,940 491,317 569,927 615,521 Total 1,138,413 1,252,025 1,369,539 1,429,669 The present population of the adjoining municipalities and panchayats is less than the population of Kochi Municipal Corporation., where as the projected population is much greater than the projected population of Kochi Municipal Corporation. So the emphasis should be on the travel demand of outer area. 1.3 TRANSPORT SYSTEM CHARACTERISTICS The major public transport modes in Kochi are City Buses, Autorikshas, and ferry boats operated mainly by private operators. A total of about 650 buses are operated on about 160 routes originating from 60 locations scattered all over the city. ¾ The buses contribute about 14% of the vehicular traffic and carry 73% passenger traffic 6 ¾ The share of cars in terms of vehicular trips is about 38% carrying 15%of the passenger. ¾ Two wheelers contribute 35% of vehicular traffic and 8% of passenger traffic ¾ Autorikshaws contribute about 13% of vehicular traffic and 4% of passenger traffic. 1.3.1. ROAD NETWORK The road net work is constituted by a broken grid iron pattern. The main emphasis is on the north south axis with minor roads giving the east west connection. Undue concentration of services is seen in certain areas of the city. The lack of accessibility is caused by poor quality of roads, inadequate road width crossing of railway lines, canals and back waters. Main roads catering the core area are M.G road, Shanmugham road and Chittoor road running north south and there are only two east west corridors viz. Banerji road and S.A. road giving access to the core area. Trunk routes connecting the city are 7 TRANSPORT NETWORK OF KOCHI CITY 8 NH 17, NH47, NH 49, Kothamangalam –Thripunithura-Ernakulam road, and Ettumanoor- Thripunithura- Ernakulam road. The completion of Gosree bridges has converted Vypin road also as a trunk route connecting Kodungallur, Chavakkad and Ponnani through NH 17. 1.3.2. VEHICLE POPULATION AND GROWTH The number of vehicles in Ernakulam District has increased from 91411 in1989- 1990 to 525204 in 2004-2005 showing an average annual growth rate of 13%. Two wheelers constituted the major share of vehicle population in Ernakulam District during the period between 1990 and 2005. Table 1.3: Growth of Vehicle Population in Ernakulam District. No. Type of vehicle 1989-90 1994-95 2002- 2003- 2004-2005 2003 2004 1 Goods vehicle 12059 15315 36628 39874 43922 2 Bus/Minibus 2076 5176 9753 10931 12247 3 Car/Jeep/Van 24737 37481 71404 80448 91402 4 3-Wheelers 6219 17012 33478 35511 37629 5 2-Wheelers 44129 165250 283283 285221 326491 6 Others 2221 1547 12413 12937 13513 Total 91441 241781 446959 464922 525204 Source: Economic Review, Kerala State Planning Board. From 1990 to 2005 personal vehicles such as scooters/motorcycles and cars recorded a growth of 7.4 times and 3.7 times respectively. Buses and mini buses also increased by more than 5.8 times. 9 1.3.3. ISSUES AND CHALLENGES ¾ Majority of traffic problems are concentrated along two east west corridors of the city ¾ The city is divided in to two parts by railway line. ¾ Improper traffic junctions ¾ Chronic parking problems in core areas ¾ Absence of pedestrian crossing facilities ¾ Absence of bus bays ¾ Insufficient carriageway width to accommodate high volume of traffic ¾ Narrow bridges and inadequate number of railway over bridges. ¾ Various types of encroachments ¾ Absence of proper link roads ¾ Unscientific route selection of public transport ¾ Absence of bus terminals. ¾ Concentration of commercial activities in core area. ¾ Overcrowding of old town areas like Fort Kochi and Mattancherry. ¾ Absence of mass rapid transportation system ¾ Absence of integration of different modes of transport. ¾ Uncontrolled increase in personal vehicles due to absence of adequate public transport system. ¾ Lack of increase in road length to accommodate the increasing vehicular density. ¾ Lack of awareness of traffic rules by public 1.4 APPROACH The solution to the problem of mobility can be classified in to short term, mid term and long term. 10 Short term solutions The issues connected with core commercial area like improper traffic junctions, absence of bus bays, terminals, and pedestrian paths etc.